BANANAS
By Hoda Nassef
A Banana a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away!
Amazing fruit!
NOW is the season for bananas! Did you know all the benefits you can get from them? Not only are they good for you, they are relatively very inexpensive and can suit any budget! But first, never put your bananas in the refrigerator!
Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose, combined with fibre.
QUICK BENEFITS:
1) A banana gives an instant sustained and substantial boost of energy.
2) Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
3) Bananas not only give us energy and keep us fit, but it can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it mandatory to our daily diet.
It can prevent and cure:
DEPRESSION. According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan – which is a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, consequently affecting your mood.
ANEAMIA. High in iron, bananas can help stimulate the production of hemoglobiin in the blood, thus helps in cases of anaemia.
BLOOD PRESSURE. This unique tropical fruit that are abundant in Egypt, is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure problems, so much so that the Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and strokes.
BRAIN POWER. 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school in the U.K. were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch, in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium- packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
CONSTIPATION. Including bananas in the diet, that are high in fibre, can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
DIZZINESS. One of the quickest ways of curing a dizzy or fainting spell is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system. Banana milkshakes are also good for HANGOVERS.
HEARTBURN. Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing fast relief.
MORNING SICKNESS. For the pregnant mom, snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep the blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
MOSQUITO BITES. Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
NEUROSIS. Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
OBESE WORKERS. Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that to avoid panic-induced food cravings, wee need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking of high carbohydrate foods every two hours, to keep levels steady.
ULCERS. The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL. Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature - and temperament!
SEASONAL AFFECTED DISORDER (SAD). Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
SMOKING & TOBACCO USE. Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 vitamins they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
STRESS. Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
STROKES. According to research in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.
WARTS. For natural alternatives, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out! Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape.
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. It is also much cheaper than an apple!
Bananas must be the reason why monkeys are so happy all the time!
By Hoda Nassef
A Banana a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away!
Amazing fruit!
NOW is the season for bananas! Did you know all the benefits you can get from them? Not only are they good for you, they are relatively very inexpensive and can suit any budget! But first, never put your bananas in the refrigerator!
Bananas contain three natural sugars: sucrose, fructose and glucose, combined with fibre.
QUICK BENEFITS:
1) A banana gives an instant sustained and substantial boost of energy.
2) Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
3) Bananas not only give us energy and keep us fit, but it can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it mandatory to our daily diet.
It can prevent and cure:
DEPRESSION. According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan – which is a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, consequently affecting your mood.
ANEAMIA. High in iron, bananas can help stimulate the production of hemoglobiin in the blood, thus helps in cases of anaemia.
BLOOD PRESSURE. This unique tropical fruit that are abundant in Egypt, is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure problems, so much so that the Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and strokes.
BRAIN POWER. 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school in the U.K. were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch, in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium- packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
CONSTIPATION. Including bananas in the diet, that are high in fibre, can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
DIZZINESS. One of the quickest ways of curing a dizzy or fainting spell is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system. Banana milkshakes are also good for HANGOVERS.
HEARTBURN. Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing fast relief.
MORNING SICKNESS. For the pregnant mom, snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep the blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
MOSQUITO BITES. Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
NEUROSIS. Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
OBESE WORKERS. Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that to avoid panic-induced food cravings, wee need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking of high carbohydrate foods every two hours, to keep levels steady.
ULCERS. The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL. Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature - and temperament!
SEASONAL AFFECTED DISORDER (SAD). Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
SMOKING & TOBACCO USE. Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 vitamins they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
STRESS. Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
STROKES. According to research in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.
WARTS. For natural alternatives, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out! Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape.
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. It is also much cheaper than an apple!
Bananas must be the reason why monkeys are so happy all the time!
h.n.
